


A long time coming

by Ruth_Holmgren_mustdie (orphan_account)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Everybody Lives, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Natasha Romanov Knows All, Nobody Dies, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), they're in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:34:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25497676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Ruth_Holmgren_mustdie
Summary: 'Steve turned when he heard his name."Steve?" Bucky's voice was quiet, small. But his voice stung like needles in his ears.Steve stood frozen, as Bucky turned to dust. Without even realizing it, Steve's feet brought him to the spot where Bucky had stood not seconds ago."...Buck?" Hot tears streamed down Steve's face, as his hands gripped at the ground, reaching for something- someone- who couldn't come back.'It had been five years since the snap, and five hours since the defeat of Thanos. Steve was finally going to say his peace.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 4
Kudos: 121





	A long time coming

Steve turned when he heard his name. 

"Steve?" Bucky's voice was quiet, small. But his voice stung like needles in his ears. 

Steve stood frozen, as Bucky turned to dust. Without even realizing it, Steve's feet brought him to the spot where Bucky had stood not seconds ago.

"...Buck?" Hot tears streamed down Steve's face, his hands gripping at the ground, reaching for something- someone- who couldn't come back.

\--

Steve had loved Bucky for more than eighty years now, and somewhere inside him, he knew Bucky felt the same. But neither of them had spoke a word. They left their emotions in the lingering gazes, the brushing of their hands. They had been scared. _Steve_ had been scared. In the forties, it had been fear of prosecution, and in the modern era, it had been fear of... Well, fear of it actually working. _How terrifying would that be?_ But after five years of being without Bucky, truly thinking he'd never see him again, Steve realized something. Living in a world without Bucky, without ever saying how he really feels, is more terrifying than confessing could ever be.

So as soon as Steve saw that Bucky was back, well and truly _here to stay_ , he knew what he had to do.

It had been only a matter of hours since Tony had snapped his fingers, defeating Thanos. He was still asleep in a Wakandan hospital bed, beaten to hell, but alive. There was a small army in the waiting room, all looking their own brand of scraped up. Slowly but surely, the handful of Wakandan medics were making their way through the group, stitching wounds and setting bones one by one.

Although Steve and Bucky were super soldiers, they let the doctors take a look at them just to be safe. Steve had already been cleared, and his leg was bouncing uncontrollably, inpatient in waiting for Bucky to be cleared so he could talk to him. 

"You okay?" Natasha's voice, coming from his right side, broke him out of his trance. 

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. It's just- nothing." He slumped against his chair, Nat's knowing gaze burning a hole in his eye.

"Uh huh." Steve's eyes snapped to the door as Bucky came walking out, a nurse in his tow, waiting for their next patient. Both men walked towards each other.

"All cleared." Bucky offered Steve a small smile, which he returned happily. He could feel Natasha staring at him, reading his mind as always, but he didn't care.

"Listen, do you wanna go for a walk?" Bucky nodded, curiosity in his eyes, but he didn't speak of it.

"Sure." And they were off. They knew not to go far, only straying so far from the hospital. It had been hours since they landed on Earth, and the Wakandan sun was starting to set, turning the whole country a warm, comforting orange. They walked slowly, and Steve stopped when they reached a small clearing in the trees, turning to look at Bucky. 

"Buck?" He looked up.

Steve took a deep breath, and wrapped Bucky in a hug, holding him tight, as if he might disappear again. Bucky gripped Steve's torso, dipping his head into the crook of his neck. "I missed you so much." Bucky spoke softly against Steve's shoulder. Steve pulled away slightly, Bucky's head lifting up to look at him. 

"I need to tell you something." Bucky's eyebrows furrowed, and he quirked his head to the side, as if to say, _'Go on'_. "When you were gone- in the soul stone, I-" He took Bucky's hands. Bucky didn't say a word, his eyes staying put on Steve's. "I thought about you everyday. I missed you, _so much_ \- more than I've ever missed anyone before. And when I saw you again- saw that you were back, I made a promise to myself. I promised myself I would tell you how I feel. Because I'm not wasting another eighty years pretending I don't love you. Because I do, Bucky. I love you more than anything." As Steve finished, silence filled the space between the two men, making Steve's ears ring. Please say something.

" _Buck_ -" Steve was cut off by Bucky's lips pressing against his own, both his flesh and his metal arm coming up to grip his face. 

"I love you too. Always have, punk." Bucky bit his lip, looking at Steve's face, which was not even two inches away from his. Steve's smiled beamed bright as the sun, and he couldn't even say anything, just lean in for another kiss, as they both smiled against each others lips, knowing this kiss had been long over due.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! <3


End file.
